New service helps title and escrow professionals cover more ground in less timeProperty Insight launches Municipal Lien Search, Homeowner Association Identification and Estoppel Service

If you order Florida tax and lien reports and request Homeowner Association (HOA) Estoppel letters in more than one Florida County, your job may be getting easier.

A new online service now allows you to order municipal liens, request HOA contact information and HOA Estoppel letters for any property in Florida. Orders are immediately routed to a network of search specialists retained by Property Insight, and tracked online until they are completed and delivered.
Clients can place orders using the OrderPoint page in TitlePoint Xpress, or by using the OrderPoint Web Portal.

One point of order placement, statewide. Instant routing and assignment. And one online resource for tracking order status, with completed orders delivered electronically via a link in an email.

Florida didn’t get smaller… we just made it easier to get around.

“The information provided in Municipal Lien Searches and HOA Estoppel Letters is important to ensure that marketable title is conveyed and potential unrecorded liabilities filed against the property are addressed prior to closing,” explained Roy Wittig, Program Director. “By adding these services to our OrderPoint platform, which also enables users to order various title and property reports, we are creating a new layer of convenience and efficiency in title order production.”

Municipal lien searches locate and disclose details of unrecorded liens and code violations, open or expired permits, taxes and special assessments, utility balances that include water, sewer and solid waste, and any registration requirements for foreclosed or vacant property.

HOA Estoppel letters or demand services disclose amounts owed by a homeowner to a homeowner association, including current balances, delinquent amounts, assessment amounts and frequency. The HOA Estoppel service also secures a Demand/Estoppel letter and will obtain a ledger, if available.

HOA Identification is offered as a separate service. It provides contact information for the management company, which enables users to contact homeowner associations directly for information.

These searches can reveal claims and obligations that can inure to a new homeowner if not discovered and resolved prior to closing, and can even affect lien position.

“We learned in the years following the market crash of 2007 that this type of search became increasingly important to investors, home buyers and title companies,” explained Roy. “Properties in default or foreclosure often have a higher incidence of unrecorded liens and unpaid HOA balances, and this service shines a bright light on them before they become a problem. We expect these services to remain popular for traditional buy/sell transactions even as the market continues to normalize,” he continued.

While these searches are not the obligation of a title company or agent involved in a transaction, "Making these searches easy to order allows clients to add a new level of service to their offering," said Roy.

Continuous tracking backed by superior client support

One of the greatest benefits of the service, according to Client Services Manager Sean Tracy, is the fact that orders are continuously tracked and reported through OrderPoint. As questions arise, clients can contact Property Insight’s award-winning client support team, available by telephone and email from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern), for answers.

“There is no ‘black hole’ in our process where requests can disappear, leaving the client wondering where their order is,” said Sean. “Orders are tracked electronically and order status is available online at all times. Support from Client Services provides an added backstop as the situation warrants,” he added.

One more way

“Our challenge is to make our clients more productive and effective while improving the service they can offer their customers,” said Roy. “With this new service, we have significantly expanded our clients’ capabilities, requiring minimal effort on their part to provide an important service.”

What's hot from Property Insight

Since 2005, the Southeast Operations team, located in Maitland, FL, has been expanding title plant coverage, adding to the depth and breadth of the online image repository and leading the charge on new technology and services for its Florida title clients. Here’s an overview of what's hot.

TitlePoint Xpress | Available as a Web browser-based application and via Web Services/XML, this popular title search and order management application creates Grantor-Grantee and geographic title chains, provides online document retrieval and editing, and allows for convenient order management including order date-down. TitlePoint Xpress provides access to markets in 15 states, including Florida. Learn more

Xpress Search | Available in TitlePoint Xpress, this automated search feature queries seven databases as part of an automated search to produce all of the core elements of a search package. Include in the search is a title chain, deed images, starter records, plat maps, assessor and recorder information and real-time tax payment data. Learn more

Legal & Vesting Search | This automated search returns the owner name(s), vesting clause, legal description and in some cases a copy of the conveyance deed. Available statewide and in 46 additional states. Learn more

Copyright, 2006-2015, Property Insight, LLC, All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy
| Note: This site is not designed for the transmission of highly confidential customer, non-public personal information, and should therefore not be used to enter or transmit data such as customer Social Security Numbers or Driver's License Numbers.